


The One Who Stays

by sohardtopickaname



Category: Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Canon Compliant, F/M, Friendship, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Podrick is a good squire, what it means to be a knight
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-15
Updated: 2019-05-15
Packaged: 2020-03-06 01:25:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 980
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18840796
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sohardtopickaname/pseuds/sohardtopickaname
Summary: Podrick is a very good squire, and Ser Brienne is just Brienne we've known all along. A conversation.





	The One Who Stays

**Author's Note:**

> The showrunners just left Brienne there, in the courtyard of Winterfell, hurt and crying, and did not even show us what happened to her after Jaime left. They left me no choice but to fill in that gap myself.

\- Pod! A word, please, - she turned and walked towards the castle. He followed.

\- Would you please bother to explain why you hit a fellow soldier? – she asked, having ordered him to sit by a single eye movement.

\- It’s personal, - he responded glumly, staring into the floor.

\- Personal?

\- Yes. We fought over a woman.

\- Didn’t know you had a woman.

\- We met at the feast.

\- Stop it, Pod. Just stop it.

\- What? – he mumbled.

\- Stop this nonsense. I know why you hit him, and I know why you hit the other two. It is insulting, Pod.

\- What? – he looked at her in astonishment. – Why?

\- Because I am perfectly capable of defending myself.

\- From an attack, yes, sure. But not from this! The things they were saying...

\- You would be saying the exact same things were you not my squire.

\- No! You just don’t know...

\- I do know. I know what they are saying. The traitor’s whore. The Lannister pet beast. The Kingslayer’s..., - she suddenly stopped. - Have I summarized it correctly? 

He could not force himself to say “yes”.

\- I was just trying to protect your reputation.

\- My reputation is gone, there is no point in protecting something that does not exist.  

\- It can’t be gone over one... you are a war hero!

\- It can and it is, facing facts is a much better way to live a life that running from them.

\- But...

\- Look. As soon as the war is over, I will have to leave Winterfell.

\- Why?

\- Lady Sansa cannot release me from my oath until the Stark forces are back and she can rely on them for protection. However, she intends to do so as soon as they return.

\- But why?

\- Because she can’t trust my judgment anymore. I vouched for Ser Jaime and she allowed him to stay here based entirely on her trust in me. And then he went back to King’s Landing.

\- She told you that herself?

\- Yes, Pod, she did. And she was right. After all she’s been through, she cannot afford to let anyone she does not trust completely to be close to her. The Lannisters harmed her family in many ways, but she relied on my word against her own judgment in deciding the fate of Ser Jaime. Queen Daenerys will never let her forget that, either. Besides, if I was wrong about a man I have known for so long, it means I cannot be trusted with judging anyone correctly.

\- But she can’t just banish you from Winterfell! After all you’ve done!

\- She didn’t do anything of the sort. She offered me a position of the commander of the Northern forces, responsible for training the soldiers.

\- Then why leave?

\- A commander must be respected. A commander must be someone who is not is a joke, and it is dangerous for any army to have a joke for a commander. I will never be respected here again, so I must leave.

\- So where will we go?

\- _I_ will, Podrick. _You_ will stay here. You are well-trained, you fought bravely, and you will be able to secure a good position here in Winterfell.

\- I am your squire, Ser. I swore an oath.

\- I will release you from the oath, of course.

\- No, you won’t. You can’t, I will never give you a reason to release me.

\- I thought you wanted to be a knight one day, not a squire for the rest of your life.

He was silent for a few moments. Then stood up and looked directly into Brienne’s eyes.

\- Then knight me and we will travel together.

\- What? – she was taken aback. – No. I am a joke of a knight. I heard one of the soldiers ask yesterday, ‘Was she knighted with a Lannister sword or a Lannister cock?’ If I knight you, you will be a joke too.  You do not deserve to be a joke, Pod.   

\- No, _you_ do not deserve to be a joke. Tell you what. You have a right to make your choices, I have a right to make mine. I am choosing to follow you, as a squire or whatever.

\- But why? I do not understand. I understand you wanting to help me, yes, but not...

\- Remember how you once said that all my lords had been kind to me? It was true, kind they were. But you were the only one who actually cared. You taught me to ride, to fight, to cook, to mend clothes, to keep the fire going, to keep my oaths, and to be a man... a man of honor.

\- I...

\- You also asked back then if I wanted to be a knight. I said yes, but now it’s different. I don’t want to be just a knight anymore. I’ve seen so many knights, and so many of them were anything but honorable. What I want is to be a knight like you.

The silence was long. Then she sighed.

\- Thank you, - she said very quietly. – I respect your choice and I will be honored to knight you. We will need proper witnesses, of course, but it can be easily arranged.

Podrick bowed his head.

\- One more thing, Pod. Please do not get into fights for me. It only prevents the shits from getting bored with all this.

\- As you wish, Ser.

He bowed again, smiled at her and walked out, just to return a moment later.

\- I think that I must apologize for one thing, now that I promised not to...

\- Yes?

\- The day he left, I sent a raven to the Hound.

\- The Hound?  

\- Yes.

\- Why?

\- I told him that Ser Jaime was going south and asked him to kick him in the balls for me if they ever meet there.

\- But why the Hound?

\- I just knew he would be glad to, - he smiled again and darted out before she was able to come up with an answer.


End file.
